Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)

The Deputy has raised a number of issues. First, with regard to the banking inquiry, I did articulate that the reports will be submitted to the Minister for Finance. The Government will consider them and my assumption is that the reports will be laid before the House immediately. The timeframe, as the Deputy is aware, is the setting up of the commission and the terms of reference and a discussion will take place in the committee during June. We are working within the timeframe set in the order.

Second, on the issue of the stabilisation mechanism and the discussions that took place in the House, as the Deputy is aware, the Minister for Finance indicated that further legislation will be required. He is working on that currently. The expectation is that it should be available next week for approval and consideration by the Government and then to progress to discussion in the House in June.

On the Deputy's final question, in the coming weeks these items of legislation will take up a considerable amount of the time of this House. I do not anticipate that we will have time available between now and the end of the session for further discussions on the McCarthy report but we will evaluate the way matters are progressing.

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